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Need help putting baby back to the breast!

First off, thank you for taking the time to read this and if you are able to offer any advice, I'd really appreciate it!

My baby is now 2 weeks old and was originally a really good latcher. So good in fact that my nipples were bleeding heavily by day 3. I still attempted to breast feed her, but had to stop once I saw how much blood was coming out! So, I decieded to just pump and finger/tube feed her until my nipples could heal. After about a week of this, my husband decided to test a bottle to see if baby would take it. I've continued to pump and bottle feed her until now. Occasionally, I've tried to breast feed her, but she doesn't want it. However, I really really miss (and am scared that I've missed the opportunity) the bonding while breast feeding and was wondering if there's any tips out there that can help me put baby back on the breast? Thank you!!!

Re: Need help putting baby back to the breast!

You have not missed anything. It's very early days yet. plus, I do want to suggest that breastfeeding is not a requirement for bonding. It helps, because when a mother is breastfeeding she at the same time cannot help but be doing what is needed for bonding-lots of holding and 'communicating' via touch, (and the other senses, but mostly touch) with baby. But please believe me even if you are truly unable to nurse your baby (unlikely but possible) you and baby can still (and probably are beginning to already) bond just fine.

But breastfeeding is so very important for this and many, many other reasons. So as long as you are wanting to work on it, no doubt it is worth it.

Will your baby take the breast if offered? CAN baby latch, without causing pain? What you experienced in the early days with the injury is a sign of a not good latch, even if baby was able to get enough milk, if it hurts mom, it cannot really be considered a good latch!

Basically I am wondering if you only need help getting baby to even try to latch, or also with latch pain?

Re: Need help putting baby back to the breast!

I had an issue with bleeding nips with my first one. Not fun.
She tore em up!! I too broke down and used a bottle here and there but what I found most helpful was a nipple sheild. We used one, it helped my nips heal and she had zero problems adjusting to it since it was almost like a bottle nipple. Then around three months we gradually weaned her off and she took bare breast like a champ. Opened nice and wide and had a wonderful latch! Mind you it was incredibly frustrating trying to clean the nipple sheild everytime we used it especially in the middle of the night
What I also found helpful when we were weaning from the nip sheild was to latch her after she elongated the nipple after a few suckles on the sheild then taking it off and letting her latch again.

Re: Need help putting baby back to the breast!

Thank you so much for your response! I feel a little better knowing that breastfeeding isn't a must to bond with baby. I'm holding and comforting her everyday- and I definitely feel very close to her!

Baby will not take the breast when I offer it to her. She puts the nipple in her mouth, makes a face and then refuses to feed. She can latch without causing pain, but I can't be sure since she only did it at the very beginning. When I was at the hospital, the lactation specialists and nurses said she had a good latch (yet I was still bleeding!).

I think I need help getting her to latch again. I can learn to deal with the latch pain... I think I can get her to latch correctly if I can only get her to latch.